Assumption: It is acceptable to pause briefly to re‑establish trust.
In peacetime, security pauses are tolerated. In war, they are decisive.
When architecture forces operators to wait for verification, updates, or authorization during contested operations, the AI system becomes a brake on decision-making.
Decision advantage is not just about speed. It is about continuity.
If trust requires a pause, the system has already failed its warfighting purpose.
Inevitability: Warfighting AI must be designed so decisions continue when verification pathways are denied—not resume after they return.